Render has used up 98GB of space!! Help!

[Cameron Poole]

I'm compiling a 'best of Skype' video for my girlfriend who I will go to visit next week - (it will be my first visit to the U.S.) and so I converted one of my saved/recorded calls into H.264 using MPEG Streamclip and then into FCP.

It's just over an hour long. It took about the same amount of time to render, and i'd done a slight colour correction on the midtones. When it had completed it had used up almost all of my space!

I still have several more to go through, I guess I will have to find all the highlights and edit them individually in MPEG Streamclip but until then, where is all that space and where do I go to locate and delete it?

[Cameron Poole]

I've checked the size of all the files (I think).

I'm astounded nobody can help.

Well aware this is a professional forum, however we all have personal lives and the occasional amateur video from our phones. I can't be the only one who has attempted editing amateur footage in FCP.

[Dave Farrants]

You've not really given enough information - what were your Sequence settings and then Export settings?

Your workflow should have been something like this - Convert original Skype movie file to ProRes or ProRes LT using MPEGStreamclip, import into FCP and edit in a ProRes Sequence, apply corrections, render, export as Self Contained, then convert to H264 (using Compressor) as the delivery / viewing file, then if you're short on drive space and if you're happy with the Compressor file, delete the conversion and exported SC files, keeping the original Skype file and new viewing file.

[Cameron Poole]

I can't remember how to check my sequence settings, but I've found what I need to delete - the render files.

I've compressed what I've done so far into one Quicktime clip - 1280 x 720, seems to be the only one that doesn't distort the aspect ratio. Is there a smaller one that doesn't?

For the rest i'll start a new project and let FCP match the sequence settings to the raw mov file, I don't think it needs converting to H.264, it probably is anyway.

Thanks for your input, I don't understand it all but it has helped.

[William Hohauser]

98gb is very large and to get render files like that you have your settings all messed up unless your project is very long. If you want help from volunteers like us, please give us relevant information like how long the finished project is, what are the settings you picked in MPEGStreamclip, etc.

[Les Wilson]

FCP doesn't support H.264 natively so I believe that it's rendering it out internally to a format it can edit. You are better off converting it to prores using the Compressor preset for Preres 422. Then do your edit. then export it to whatever frame size and compression rate you want. Exporting to a Quicktime will give it to you in the same frame size and compression as the timeline. Using Export using Quicktime Compression gives you all the normal QT pro settings where you can customize the frame size and compression type/rate.

As for cleaning up disk space, use the Render Manager under the tools menu to see all the projects that have render files. You can selectively delete the render files for various projects.

There's an article on kenstone.net from FCP 4 days on Media Management that will serve you well and help you have more advanced understanding of the tool.
Media Management in Final Cut Pro 4

[Dave Partington]

It's not unusual for use to have a couple of hundred gigs of preview files when they are created in ProRes. If you are creating long clips, that's just how it goes. Just remember to delete them when done.

If you don't want preview files...... don't render !

[Paul Wags]

Why not just use a NLE that can just edit the native raw files. Transocding to another codec is a complete waste of time and space.

[William Hohauser]

Which NLE can edit Skype files? What does Skype save as anyway? The only times I have used Skype video was by sending the output of the computer thru a switcher and recording the conversation to tape for later capture.